Discourse on Propaganda

In a keynote address at the School of Visual Arts, Milton Glaser discussed propaganda and art. Which is culturally necessary? Which can be identified or defined? His words are important for designers and advertisers, so often the purveyors of propoganda, as well as the people to whom this social artwork is directed. The thing that stands [...]

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The meaning of meaning nothing

In a great article on AIGA recently, Grant McCracken discusses the beauty of the un-designed, the things that just happen that spark a positive reaction. Specifically, he discusses sounds, like the one made by a plastic coke bottle as it works its way through the mysterious tunnels and slides to land – thunk – into the [...]

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Double geek-out

Posted on Veer yesterday, a fantastic student project hypothesizing what the Star Wars titles would have looked like if the fabulous Saul Bass had done them. Complete with jazzy soundtrack and spot-on for the distinctive Bass style. There’s also a link in the video responses where someone took the titles and “remastered” them á la the “improved” version [...]

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Artistic time-wasters

Found on Veer today, a blog called Future Trash on which a large number of intricate illustrations are posted, inviting the curious to sit and stare at the bizarre details for way too long. There’s an alphabet neighborhood in which each house is built inside of a letter, each with its own quirks and eccentricities. Also featured is “crash/canal,” [...]

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No talking! Seriously!

In a fresh re-imagining of the “please don’t talk during the movie” spot that plays just before the titles come up, Martin Scorsese barges in on a sweet phone call between a little boy and his daddy. It’s clever, hysterical, and WAY better than the annoying “sound effects” one that we usually get, complete with wailing baby [...]

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